Chapter 1
I sat on the dark wooden bench outside the infirmary, fiddling with a band-aid wrapped poorly around my finger, resisting the urge to slide it off to feel the pull of the adhesive off my nail. I rubbed my jaw again, trying to feel if I put it back in correctly.
Someone cleared their throat, and I moved my eyes up, startled. My eyes widened when I saw who was standing in front of me.
Oswald Griffin, the transferee with the strength and power to smash the thick stone benches outside, at least on accident (I saw him do it his first day). He shuffled awkwardly in place, pointing to the seat beside me.
"Is anyone sitting there?" I didn't answer, only scooting myself further toward the end of the bench. He sat down stiffly beside me. A guilty look on his face, as he tried to make himself as thin as possible on the bench. I recessed back into the depths of my mind, wondering if Diesel would try to come for my head as a basketball again, today. I was so deep in thought, that I narrowly missed seeing Oswald take an encouraging breath.
"So, um" He tapped his fingers on his thighs, fidgeting, "What's...your deal?"
"Hm?" I turned my head to face him, putting my still-attached ear closer.
"What is your thing? I guess." He scratched his knuckles in his lap, avoiding direct eye contact, nervously. I pointed weakly at him, his eyes moving to my outstretched finger.
"Pull my finger."
"I-I'm sorry?" His eyes flicked to mine, then back to my finger.
"You heard me. Pull it." I moved my hand closer to him. A smug and slightly creepy smile unconsciously pulled at my lips.
"Um. Okay." He reached out and pinched my finger between his thumb and index finger, tugging slightly.
The skin disconnected cleanly, with a small pop. With a startled jump, he tossed the finger in the air. I reached out to let it fall into my other palm.
"What?" His voice cracked embarrassingly, he had his leg pulled up on the bench, in shocked terror. His arms were frozen up in the air, leaning as far on the other side of the bench as he could without falling off. I think I heard the wooden armrest creak in protest behind him. A laugh wiggled its way out of my chest.
"You want to hold it?" I offered with a teasing smile. His eyelids fluttered, his brain scrambling to keep up with the fact that his almost sickly-looking classmate just popped off her finger and asked him if he wanted to hold it. With another chuckle, I reattached the finger and curled it at him like a distant aunt would before she moved in to pinch your cheeks. "Relax, It's not like I bled everywhere."
My eyes moved back to my hand to adjust the skin properly and rub away the newly formed seem. He seemed to collect himself and bring his limbs down to a semi-normal position.
"That's uh...cool," He gulped, blinking behind his horn-rimmed glasses. "I have something a bit more boring than that." he fiddled with his thumbs, his forearms resting on his knees.
"You're invincible, with super strength. I hardly think that is boring," He looked at me from over his shoulder in confusion. "I saw you trip over the bench on your first day." His face flushed, as he buried it in his large hands.
A muffled, "You saw that?" came from his behind his hands. The tips of his ears turned warm pink. "I thought I was alone when that happened."
"Nope." He groaned, sinking his head further into his hands.
The nurse opened the infirmary door across from us, her eyes finding mine and almost immediately her mouth fell into a flat line, "Again?"
I stood up with a sheepish smile, smoothing the pleated uniform skirt over my butt. "Goodbye, Oswald Griffin. I'll probably never speak to you again."
By the time he looked up from his hands, the nurse was closing the door behind me.
"Again, Cybil?" Ms. Grenswhic grilled me as I crossed the room to sit on the stiff later cot. "What is it this time? What is out of place now?"
"I don't know if my jaw is on straight." I sent a sickly sweet smile her way, as she grabbed latex gloves from the box on her desk.
"You could go into the bathroom, and do this yourself." She moved a long strand of platinum blonde hair from my face and set her cold fingers on either side of my jaw, Her thumbs applying pressure on my back molars, as she pushed my jaw up and back into place.
She moved away, peeling her gloves off and tossing them into the metal trashcan by her desk. I rolled my tongue in my mouth, moving my jaw.
"You know I don't go into the bathroom, anymore." I started swinging my feet. "Kelley keeps her venomous insects in there, and I don't have privilege." She grabbed one of the papers from the vine hanging from the ceiling, moving with other similar vines. "You coming to dinner tonight?" I stopped swinging my thick-soled loafers, squeaking them on the dark tile underneath me.
"Unfortunately I can't, My brother is struggling with the green-house." She began clacking away on the keyboard, and with little attention on me, I slid toward the window.
Pushing open the window, I quickly hoisted my legs out, and jumped onto the ground, running across the grass and into the surrounding woods. I heard her call out at me from the open window.
"CYBIL DOYLE! I WILL TELL MASON ABOUT THIS!" She slammed the window closed, and turned back into the room.
Stepping out of the bush and onto the mowed yard, I approached the dark mansion.
The front door opened and my older brother stalked across the yard to me. His face was hard and unmoving as he neared. His long strides grew more threatening with every step in the grass.
"Cybil Strix Doyle" He waved his hand, and with a whoosh my body stopped moving from the neck down.
"Mason, hi. How lovely you decide to greet me on my way into the house." I put my best innocent smile forward, hoping to soften the blow. He materialized my backpack in his hand and tossed it at my chest. My arms came to cradle it there, as he stopped in front of me.
He looked down into my eyes, his irritated expression melting into reluctant acceptance. His head tilted to the left as he brushed a long loch of hair behind my shoulder.
"Don't forget to put your ear back on before dinner." He turned back towards the house and tossed over his shoulder. "We go out tonight."
I blinked at his retreating figure, slinging the wine-red colored bag over my shoulder. Reaching into the pocket of my uniform white uniform sweater, I pulled out my disembodied ear and stuck it back into place on my head, before following my elder brother.
I entered the large house into a Victorian-style foyer, the red Persian rug plush under my feet. With the heels of my school shoes hooked on my fingers, I began climbing the grand staircase that greeted me.
At the top, I rounded the banister post and headed toward my room at the end of the darkened hallway. About halfway down the hallway, the sconse lamps on either side of the hall, all came to light with a tickling breeze. I stopped and turned around, trying to keep my face unfazed.
I let my eyes fall closed as the silent footsteps approached from behind me. Once within range, my hand disconnected from my wrist, grabbing the invisible one by the collar, and pinning him to the wall. I whirled around again and grabbed the one coming out of the wall, pulling him into a headlock with my handless arm. One of the hallway wooden benches rounded the corner, charging at me on four legs. Swiftly flipping it with my foot, I grabbed onto the seat of the bench with my other hand.
"Bamboozled again. Another point for solo-team Cybil and the triplets of I remain defeated once more. The one pinned to the wall became visible, and the bench reformed into the body of a 12-year-old boy. With a pout, all three boys let out an "Aww", and she released the brunette boys. The previously invisible one brought her now lax hand back to her. Attaching my hand, I fixed the boys with a smug look.
"Better luck, next time?" I stuck out my now attached hand, palm up. Each boy smacked it and sulked off into the house. "And Vinney." The bench boy turned around with a sullen look. "Your imitation is getting better." He smiled showing me a boyish smile with a missing tooth, before running back to catch up with his brothers.
Turning around, I grabbed my discarded shoes and backpack. Approaching the lone door at the end of the near-symmetric hallway, I stepped inside. The flickering flames grew from the once-smoking embers, greeting me as I stepped into the dark room. The old lanterns placed in various spots around the room danced to light, casting dancing shadows around the room, and back into the corners.
Dropping my shoes by the door, I sauntered into the room, tossing my backpack into the cushy armchair by the little tea table in front of the fireplace.
I tugged my sweater off over my head, as I sat down at the vanity, the surface covered, except the little spot in front of me.
Without command, the room seemed to come alive. The tall wardrobe in the darkened corner of the room burst open. A black off-shoulder sleeve, short dress, the skirt subtly flaring from the waist, flew gracefully around behind me and the changing screen.
From an open jar on the vanity, rose two silver hairpins, and the equally silver comb. Sweeping, tugging, and pinning my long hair into a simple yet elegant French twist. My blonde hair swept over my right eye and over my ear and into the twist, held by the hairpins, with small baby hairs hanging down in loose elegant twists.
"Very well done, I hardly recognized myself." I turned my head carefully from side to side in the mirror, the silver pins glinting proudly in the mirror. Standing from the vanity, I slid behind the intricately painted changing screen.
Popping the buttons on my skirt, I let it fall to the ground forming a plaid halo around my feet. I step out of the skirt and undo the white button-down shirt. I grab the discarded skirt and toss the clothes into the canvas clothes hamper. Switching my bra out for a strapless one, I step into the dress, pulling the off-shoulder sleeves snugly around my upper arms.
After tying the sparkly black strings of my heels, I step over to the vanity and pull out a silver chain that sparkles against my pasty skin. I pull the sapphire blue pearl earrings out of the box and hook them into my ears. I step back and twist myself in the mirror, checking for faults.
I grabbed the black clutch the room packed for me earlier and sauntered to the door. Glancing over my shoulder, at the dark room, I gave an amused hm, with a smug smirk, before I closed the door behind me.
